What does this transportation noise ranking show?

It orders states by Residents exposed to transportation noise. It is a comparison of this one published measure, not an overall ranking of where to live.

Where do these figures come from?

BTS National Transportation Noise Map (2020), population aggregation by Seto & Huang supplies this measure. States without a comparable published value are shown as not ranked rather than estimated.

How should I use this ranking?

Use it to narrow a search, then open a state or county profile for the underlying figures, source dates and caveats. A statewide number may not describe every neighbourhood.

Lowest transportation noise by state

Residents exposed to transportation noise.

Share of residents estimated to be exposed to modeled road, rail, or aviation transportation noise at LAeq 60 dB or above. This is a national-scale average-day model, not a site measurement or a prediction of what a specific home sounds like.

How to read this ranking

Vermont has the lowest published transportation noise in this comparison, at 1.00%. The next states shown are Idaho (1.60%) and Maine (1.60%).

The table orders 50 states by residents exposed to transportation noise. It describes one published measure, not an overall judgment about where to live.

Use the result as a starting point, then compare the underlying source, dates, and local county figures before making a decision. Share of residents estimated to be exposed to modeled road, rail, or aviation transportation noise at LAeq 60 dB or above. This is a national-scale average-day model, not a site measurement or a prediction of what a specific home sounds like.

1Vermont1.00%
2Idaho1.60%
3Maine1.60%
4Mississippi1.70%
5West Virginia1.70%
6New Hampshire1.80%
7Wyoming1.80%
8Arkansas1.90%
9Montana1.90%
10North Dakota1.90%
11South Carolina1.90%
12Alaska2.00%
13Oklahoma2.00%
14South Dakota2.00%
15Louisiana2.10%
16Georgia2.20%
17Kansas2.20%
18Tennessee2.30%
19Minnesota2.40%
20New Mexico2.40%
21Alabama2.50%
22Missouri2.50%
23North Carolina2.50%
24Iowa2.60%
25Colorado2.70%
26Michigan2.70%
27Ohio2.70%
28Nebraska2.80%
29Wisconsin2.80%
30Delaware2.90%
31Maryland2.90%
32Pennsylvania3.00%
33Rhode Island3.00%
34Indiana3.10%
35Nevada3.10%
36Virginia3.10%
37Florida3.20%
38Washington3.30%
39Kentucky3.50%
40Texas3.60%
41Oregon3.70%
42New Jersey4.00%
43Utah4.00%
44Hawaii4.40%
45Arizona4.60%
46New York4.80%
47Massachusetts5.10%
48District of Columbia5.80%
49Illinois5.80%
50California6.50%

Not ranked, because this measure is not published for them: Connecticut. Connecticut planning regions cannot be matched to this source’s legacy county geography and are deliberately unavailable.

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Frequently asked questions

What does this ranking show?: It orders states by Residents exposed to transportation noise. It is one measure, not an overall verdict on where to live.
Where do the figures come from?: BTS National Transportation Noise Map (2020), population aggregation by Seto & Huang. States without a comparable published figure are listed as not ranked rather than estimated.
How should I use it?: Use it to narrow your search, then open a state or county profile for the source date, caveats and local context.

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<iframe src="https://movermath.com/embed/transportation-noise" width="100%" height="420" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Residents exposed to transportation noise by state"></iframe>

Source: BTS National Transportation Noise Map (2020), population aggregation by Seto & Huang. · How this is built

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